A question to anyone who might know

scarletmoon1234
scarletmoon1234 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm slightly confused here. I run everyday and before I moved to college I lived in a city where the climate is slightly humid and its at sea level. However now I live in a city thats at a much higher altitude and has a dry climate. I live in the dry city during the week and on the weekends I go back home to the other one. What confuses me is when I run here (in the dry city) I can barely run @ a pace of 8kph, 5 minutes without feeling like i wanna give up and have to stop every 10 minutes for a 20 second break and just end my run after half an hour. At first I thought it was because my endurance had dropped since I went a while without running, but when I go back home for the weekend, I can easily run 1 hour @ 10kph non-stop without even the thought of giving up. Can anyone care to explain this to me? would the difference in climate/altitude effect my performance this much?

Thanks

p.s. I don't run outside, I run indoors on a treadmill

Replies

  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    oxygen
  • DPernet
    DPernet Posts: 481 Member
    Yes it would. :flowerforyou:

    After a few weeks though, it should start improving as your body adapts to the altitude. Once it has fully adapted, you will notice a big difference when you run at sea level again. Most athletes train at altitude nowadays or use a hyperbaric chamber.
  • Graceious1
    Graceious1 Posts: 716 Member

    p.s. I don't run outside, I run indoors on a treadmill

    This absolutely explains it. You need oxygen so maybe have a 5 minute walk before you acually stat running.
  • SmallMimi
    SmallMimi Posts: 541 Member
    Higher altitude means lower oxygen concentration. Doesn't matter if you run outside or inside, altitude is the ruling factor.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member

    p.s. I don't run outside, I run indoors on a treadmill

    This absolutely explains it. You need oxygen so maybe have a 5 minute walk before you acually stat running.

    Because she only starts breathing when she walks? Is she some new sort of amphibian?
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Its the oxygen /altitude for sure. You will adapt with time. Just keep trying. You'll probably also want to have extra water handy, not a huge deal since you're indoors.
  • scarletmoon1234
    scarletmoon1234 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks so much guys! I really appreciate your help :)
  • SToast
    SToast Posts: 255 Member
    I go from 6,500ft to 2,000ft in altitude on a regular basis. When I get down to the 2,000 I feel like a running machine. Then when I come back up to the 6,500 my lungs and legs are screaming at me in no time. It's amazing how much the altitude affects our body.
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
    I think it's mainly psychological. You should be adapted to the altitude change. It's running stressed vs. running relaxed.
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
    Higher altitude=thinner air

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